Protecting Your Family
by Adazula
Summary: Cressida has lost everything to the cat, Dragon, and was taken in by her sister. When Elizabeth's own husband dies and moving day is coming closer with her child sick in bed, Cressida has put aside her mourning to protect her sister's family from the same faith.
1. Chapter 1

It's all about Family

By: Adazula

Story description: Cressida has lost everything to the cat, Dragon, and was taken in by her sister. When Elizabeth's own husband dies and moving day is coming closer with her child sick in bed, Cressida has put aside her mourning to protect her sister's family from the same faith.

A mouse by the name of Cressida scurries through the tall grass of the farm to make home on time to see her children after a long day of working for the rats.

She's a beautiful dark brown field mouse with a cream underbelly. She's never without herpurple headscarf and a necklace made out of dark stones. Many mice have raised their eyebrows as to why she wears the headscarf, but she says she just simply prefers it this way. She has on her a green shoulder bag that has a rarity. A sugar cube! Boy are her children going to go nuts.

" I can't wait to see those two trouble makers. I hope Hamish isn't too overwhelm with looking out for…." When she suddenly stops in front of where her home should be.

Cressida is shaking as she sees the sight in sheer terror.

" No." She gasps at the destroyed home. Her children's bed are smashed. No one in sight. The paw prints pressed into the ground that belonged to a cat. The farmer only has one cat and that is Dragon.

" LISE! BRADLEY!" She screams her children's names in the hopes that they are hiding. But she hears nothing but her voice echoing in the place.

But she can't give up.

" LISE! BRADLEY!" She screams again. Again. Nothing.

She then calls her husband's name. " HAMISH!" But no response from him as well.

She scurries on her paws to the sight. She overturns every furniture she has to look for them. For a sign. Anything! They can't be dead! They can't! They must have escape! They must have known!

But then her heart stops when she sees something horrid when she pulls away the carefully quilted blanket from her daughter's bed. Blood. A lot of blood on the bed.

She doesn't care that she would be caught. None of it matters to the mouse as she screams, "NOOOOOOOOO!"

She collapses on her knees crying over the loss of her family. This wasn't suppose to happen. It wasn't! She was only gone for a day! This wasn't suppose to happen to her family! They were in a safe place! Dragon wasn't suppose to find them!

She cries continuously as she clutches onto her daughter's quilt in such fury. The quilt she made with her own hands.

" What's going on around here?! I am trying to fix the…. oh dear." She hears a familiar voice. It was from her dear friend Mr. Ages.

No words come to Mr. Ages as he sees the horrid sight. For years he has considered Cressida as a member of his family and that takes quite an achievement. To see something like this….It hits him straight in the heart to see her whole family has been wiped out by that wretched cat. He slowly comes over and places a comforting hand on her shoulder as she continues to cry over the sudden loss of her family. Unfortunately this isn't the first time it has happened. But it's a lot worse when an enter family has been wiped out.

But he has a bad feeling that the cat is going to make another trip around this area quite soon. For the very least he needs to get her out out of here.

" Cressida. Listen to me." He says. " I know you want to grieve right now, but you need to get yourself out of here before that cat comes back."

" I don't care!" She screams as she continues to sob. " There's point to me living anymore! If that cat wants to end me, then he should. I might as well see them in heaven!"

"And do you think they want you to be like this!?" He sternly tells her. " Does your husband want you to end your own life!?"

" Who are you to tell me what my husband would want!" She yells at him. " They all probably hate me for leaving them here to die!"

" They understood that you have your duties to Nicodemus. Your husband knew that you were going to be gone for some of the time. Your children knew that they were going to have to take care of themselves some of the time. They knew of the consequences!" He tells her off.

" I should have never have left them yesterday. I could have protected them." She cries.

" Or that you would have been killed too. None of us knows what could happen if something were to change. But what happened happened. There's nothing we can do about it. Cressida. Please. You need to live for your family." He implores her.

" I can't. I can't move on like this." She shakes her head.

" Then what about that baby. Are you going to live with yourself knowing you just killed yourself and your last child." He tells her.

Her sobs suddenly stops as well as her heart in shock. She looks up at him in disbelief. " Baby? What Baby?"

" You didn't know?" Mr. Ages frowns. " You're pregnant. By the look of your stomach, you look to be about five days. Now please get up. Unless you want Dragon to kill that child too."

She slowly and shakingly gets up on her feet still clutching onto the blanket in her hands. She has no intent of letting it go.

" That's it. Let's go Cressida." He slowly leads her away from everything that she once had.

She says nothing as he leads her down a specific path. She doesn't where he's taking here nor does she care. She lost her whole family like that. Just nothing to turn back to. All she can do is move on with her life for her and the baby.

As the sky gets darker and the further down she goes on the path, she becomes more familiar to where she is going. She's going towards the direction of the house belonging to her brother, Jonathan.

She stops at the sight.

Mr. Ages stops as well and frowns, " Cressida. Come on. Let's go."

" I can't. I can't impose on my sister like this." She tells him.

" Well I can't have you in my house. You need a place to stay for heaven's sake! You lost your home and you need rest as well. Knowing them, your sister and her husband will be more than understanding to take you in." He tells her.

She looks down and strokes her slightly protruding stomach. She sheds more tears for her child knowing he or she will never know what it's like to have a father or siblings.

She shakes her head and proceeds to follow Mr. Ages to her sister's front door to his home and allows him to knock on the door.

The door opens to see the friendly face of her brother in law.

" Mr. Ages! What a pleasant surprise and…. Cressida?" Jonathan makes out her figure from the dark. It has been quite some time since his sister was last at his house.

Mr. Ages gestures for Jonathan to bend forward a little. He does so and allows Mr. Ages to whisper into his ear to spare Cressida reliving the horror she has just seen and experienced. Her brother's face changes immediately into horror and remorse.

" Oh god. Come in Cressida." He immediately tells her. She nods and takes the offer.

" Take care of her Jonathan. She's going to need it now." Mr. Ages says before he heads off to his own home for the night.

Cressida hangs her head as she goes past her brother in law into the warmth of his house to see a familiar quartet of rambunctious kids running around the house while his wife, Elizabeth is trying to cook dinner.

" Cressida?" Elizabeth gasps in such surprise to see her younger sister.

" Hey! It's Aunt Cressida!" The oldest one, Marvin shouted.

" Did you bring us something!?" The youngest one, Cynthia had said.

She almost nearly breaks down again at seeing those kids and envisioning her own playing with them in the past. Everyone was so happy and so safe.

Jonathan notices this and leads her gently away towards the guest room.

" Now. Now. Children. Your Aunt is very tired and needs rest." He tells them.

" Jonathan? What's wrong?" Elizabeth asks as she follows them.

" We'll talk later in private." He whispers his promise as he brings his sister into the guest room.

He leaves Cressida alone after settling her into the bed and telling her it's going to be alright. She wish it were true, but it isn't. It isn't ok.

He figures she needs time to herself right now which she greatly appreciates. She feels so helpless and vulnerable as she sobs over the loss of her family for a better part of the night until she tired herself out and finally falls into a fitful sleep.

* * *

 **This is a test chapter for an au on this wonderful story. I watched the moving for the first time recently and I just fell in love with the story. It's so unique that the protagonist is a mother who goes to extreme lengths to protect her children. I never seen it in a animation movie and I wish that there is more of those stories about parent's love for their children. Disney needs to get on board with this concept. So I decided to do a story about a mother who lost her family and has to piece herself back to help what's left of her family for her and her child's sake.**

 **If you must know how does Mr. Ages determine she is five days pregnant, I will explain that it's fact that female mice are pregnant for only twenty days. So I am going with the more realistic mouse pregnancy instead of a human pregnancy. So at moment, in human terms, she's ten weeks pregnant.**

 **Tell me what you think or if you wish me to continue this.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Another tragedy.

Cressida does not know how long she was in the guest room, but she doesn't care. Time is all but an illusion to her. All she could think about was that she could have done something. Something that would have protected her husband. Something that would have protected her children. But she didn't and her family is dead.

Jonathan and Elizabeth come into her room often to check on her. Sometimes to give her food that she barely touched. Other times to give her company. But she doesn't want it. She wants to be alone.

" I know you're sad. But you need to eat. At the least for the baby." Her sister urges her when she waves away the food for the upteinth time.

The baby. The one thing that is keeping her alive. For now. She can't be responsible for another one of her children's deaths. Especially her last one. No matter how much she feels guilty for what has happened.

Cressida slowly forces herself to drink down the broth her sister made. The gnawing feeling in her stomach goes away as it feels a bit full.

" I know it's been five days since it happened. But Jonathan told me to tell you that the people at your job really miss you and want you to take as much time as you need."

Her job. She must mean the rats of NIMH. Elizabeth does not know about NIMH and it's best this way. Even though they are sisters, Cressida knows better than to let her sister in on this major secret that could change history itself. It's for the protection of the rats and her sister's family. Elizabeth is better off not knowing what she and Jonathan are doing.

" Why don't you join us in the living room. The children really want to see you." Her sister insists. " A bit of company would help."

Even though Cressida just wants to simply stay in bed and grieve more, she doesn't want to be mean to her nieces and nephews. She adjusts her headscarf before being help out of bed by her sister. Spending five days in bed really takes a bit out of you. Especially since she is ten days pregnant and has to get used to the shifted gravity.

She is met with bright light of the glowing hearth of the fireplace. Three of the children, Theresa, Martin, and little Cynthia, are playing in the main living area. Which raises an eyebrow with Cressida. Where's Timmy?

" Auntie Cressida!" Cynthia shouts as she runs over. Cressida smiles a little. Her youngest niece just looks so cute with her bow tied around her tiny waist.

" Hi Cynthia." She quietly says as she groans. She definitely just felt a kick in her swollen stomach.

" What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" She asks so innocently.

" No you didn't sweetie. I just… have a baby in me." Cressida explains to her.

" There's a baby in you? How did it get in there?" She asked in fascination.

" Well…." Cressida said sheepishly as she explains to the child. " That's something you can find out when you're a little older."

" Aw man." The little mouse huffed. It's obvious that she has heard of that statement.

" Don't worry Cynthia." Theresa promises to her little sister. " When you get older, you'll get to learn lots of things. So many that your head will explode." She emphasizes on the explosion part.

Cressida chuckles before she says, " Do you want to feel the baby?"

Cynthia's eyes widens as she nods.

Cressida takes her niece's hands with her own and places them on her ever growing stomach. It wasn't long before the baby kicks again and Cynthia gasps.

" I felt it! I felt it!" She shouts.

" Cynthia." Her sister sternly says. " Keep it down. Timmy is trying to sleep."

" Oh. Sorry mommy." She apologizes.

" It's alright honey." Her mother says.

" Is there something wrong with Timmy?" Cressida asks out of concern.

" He has a bad cold. Hopefully he'll come out of it in a few days." Elizabeth says though unsure. " I'm worried though. This is the worst I've seen from him. From all the children. If things get bad, I might have to go to this Mr. Ages you and Jonathan were talking about."

" I hope it doesn't resort to that. He doesn't like visitors. Even I'm at a level that he only tolerates me." She says.

" Brisby!" Cressida hears a familiar shrew enter the house.

" Auntie shrew!" Cressida says.

The shrew lets herself into the house and unwinds herself from the gigantic scarf she was wearing.

" Oh you wouldn't believe the day I had out in the fields today. All those rocks and boulders." She self pities. " I thought it was the end of me."

She then notices Cressida.

" My word! You risen from the graves. I am very sorry for your losses my dear child. Those children of yours were always so sweet." She says to Cressida.

" Thank you Shrew." Cressida says mournfully and shakingly. " I'm just... trying to get through this."

" And I see you are heavy with child again." The shrew says noting her pregnant stomach. " At least you won't be alone. Make sure you're eating. You're not the only one you're starving. You want a nice strong healthy baby. And if you need anything at all from me just howler." She says as she pats Cressida's pregnant stomach.

" I'll….take that to heart." Cressida says.

" What brings you here Shrew?" Elizabeth asks.

" I have come to tell you that spring is nearing and so is moving day. You guys better start your packing. Especially now that you Cressida are with child." She advises.

" Well I need to speak with Jonathan about that. I'll talk to him when he gets home tonight." Elizabeth.

" I think it's the wisest thing to do at this moment." Cressida agrees.

Cressida isn't just saying that because of moving day, it's also the prospect of what's going on back at rose bush. From what she is hearing from Jonathan, Nicodemus is talking about the Thorn Valley Plan being executed around moving day at this point. It's not just moving day for her sister, it's also for the rats. Things are getting serious.

" If that's what you feel, I will best be off. Remember my warning." Shrew says before wrapping herself back in her gigantic scarf. " Good day."

She then heads up the stairs and sees to herself out of the home.

" I'm sure worried for Jonathan. He's never been home this late." Elizabeth says.

" He's fine. Liz." She assures her sister. He's always been known to take care of himself. Surely he has a reason for being late.

" Cress." Her sister says. " I know it's been hard on you. I can't imagine my life without my family and I want you to know that I will always be there for you."

" And I will always be there for you. We've taken care of each other Liz and not a day goes by that I feel guilty for leaving you alone for all those months when we were just young mice." Cressida says.

" You were trapped in the farmer's boy cage before Jonathan rescued you. I don't blame you for that." Her sister smiles says as she gently takes her sister's hand.

Before Cressida says anything a knock is heard from the door of the Brisby home.

" I wonder who that is." Elizabeth says as both her and her sister go up the stairs.

The door is opened to find Mr. Ages looking sorrow at the two females.

" Mr. Ages?" Cressida says in surprise. She knows him. It's not like him at all to visit. Unless….no.

" Mrs. Brisby." He says in a quiet manner.

" Yes." Her sister says oblivious.

" There was an accident." He struggles to say. " Your husband….. Your husband…."

Her sister quickly pieces it altogether.

" No. No!" Elizabeth denies getting upset. " Please!"

" I'm sorry. There was nothing anyone could do." He says.

Elizabeth grabs Cressida as she starts crying. Cressida could only breath heavily and hold her sister in her arms as she cries.

" Jonathan." She cries.

" Mom?" Theresa says. " What's going on?"

" Theresa. You and your brother and sister need to go to bed now." Cressida says to them immediately. " I don't want any objections. Please."

Theresa looks at her crying mother and shakingly nods before she takes care of her siblings.

Mr. Ages look at them sadly one more time before seeing to himself out of their home.

" Elizabeth. I may not be strong as well right now, but we need each other. We have to help each other. I will help you and you need to help me. Jonathan, Hamish, Lise and Bradley would want us to continue, because there is no other option. Alright?" Cressida says as tears roll down her face.

Elizabeth says nothing but nods as tears come down her face and she continues to hold her sister.

* * *

 **I'm back. After a while. I decided to continue and I have been busy with a lot of stuff. Next chapter will be the start of the movie au with Cressida. I hope you like it.**

 **Please Review. See You Later.**


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